The tale of Three Brothers  When Death was real
by AwseomeSauceK
Summary: As a genreal rule people tend to believe that the brothers in The Tale of Three Brothers,only met death as a symbolic way to make a story more interesting.But just because you don't believe doesn't make him leave. Meet Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus Peverell


_ (( I am planning on writing two version of this story, one that goes with the idea that the brothers did in fact meet death on a bridge and another that I will work on this summer, where they were simply very powerful wizards that created the objects themselves. But the concepts of creating objects of such power requires too much thinking time that I need to dedicate to my studies. So I am giving you this story. And now : JK Rowling owns everything, 'cept I guess some OC's I might create, but even she owns them in passing as she has this annoying habit of owning their decedents. Happy reading...and tell me when I fail at spelling and grammar and what not, I suck at the icky part of writing)) _

_ "There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight."_

With the sun dying slowly behind them, Ignotus had half a mind to break for the night, however his elder brother Antioch insisted that a small town was just up ahead, and that it would be wiser then camping out in the elements, to walk on.

Even still, he thought of going to Cadmus, to make his brother see reason. In their youth the two brothers had always been closer to each other, then to Antioch, who out aged them by more then a decade. However, since the death of Rohesia nearly five year prior, Cadmus had grown cold, bitter and spiteful to all, as though it was the very essence of life that had personally murdered his beloved. Granting anyone a requested favor was beyond him.

Their parents, in order to help with the grieving arranged another marriage to Marsilia, the daughter of a pureblood family that had fallen into near squalor. A curious choice, as far as Ignotus could see, but he assumed that for the years of insult his brother would pay the girl, they didn't need some powerful enemy to come from it. And it wasn't hard to miss the relief it brought him parents to see their son married to a pureblood, rather then some "Half-blood -tramp"

"No matter how poor the choice, at least the got to see one son married," he though bitterly, as the only event that could have brought the three bother together, was the death of the two. Dragon Pox's had claimed them both in the month past. Only he, who had yet to venture far from home, was able to see them before they parted this world. And now there was nothing for him, so he set off with his brothers, what little inheritance they each found strapped to their backs.

Soon the rushing of water filled the ears of the brothers as they came cross a flooded, rapid river. It was clear that the snowfall had been greater up the mountains and that since the elders travels earlier in the spring, it had become impassible. Even at it's current size, it was clear that it had died down a little, as the bank surrounding it was muddy a good thirty paces away.

It was Cadmus who moved first, pulling his wand from his pocket, and motioning for his brothers to do the same, soon the roots from the trees that reached the bank began to twist in unison, pulling together from both sides, until a bridge was formed.

Just as the trip thus far had been, the brother began to cross in silence. A flicker from the water drew Ignotuss' attention for a moment, where he could have sworn hand reached out to him before returning to the depths. He thought for a second that his brothers must have seen it too, as their foot falls had stopped. But when he looked up to them, their eyes were not on the water, but rather the path ahead.

He felt his heart grow cold as the strangest figure met his eyes, at first he thought that it was a 'demon that takes', but despite the icy feeling in his heart, the air around them hadn't changed. The thing before them never looked the same from one second to another, although it remained constant. It took a step forward, but it was more of a smoky glide, although a food could be seen it looked more like the figure was appearing out of smoke rather than stepping.

"Are you some kind of magical creature, or the dammed devil himself," hissed Antioch, holding his wand out in front of him. There came a laugh, although it sounded as though a wall of water separated them, the voice was distorted and echoed around them making in almost impossible to hear.

"No, Antioch, I am not," It took a raspy gulp of air as the sun passed the horizon, leaving not but the half moon and a hand full of stars to light their way. If Antioch found it odd that the creature knew his named, he didn't act, but a look of panicked anger fell across his face. The creature turned it's hooded head towards the water and suddenly it was alive with the corpse of people, men, women, children. Most were still in the reded water, though a few thrashed like fish as they passed under the bridge. "Most die when they come to the river," it said finally, as though the bubbling was nothing out of the ordinary. "But you, brothers, have outsmarted me. Have you not?" The brothers had nothing to say to that as they tried to comprehend what the creature said. "And for that, I shall offer you a prize, tell me what it is you seek,"

Still the brothers remained silent.

"Surely there is something you desire, anything is at your command, for no prize is too great for those who have beaten death. Don't you agree?"

Instead of being met with silence Antioch spoke. "A-anything?" he asked

"Anything," confirmed the voice

"C-could you make me a wand?"

"Just a wand? But surely you already have one of those," said death with a smile.

"No, not just a wand, one more p-power than any in existence. One that won't ever loose in a fight o-or a duel," As Antioch spoke he seemed to grow into the cold confidant self that his brothers knew well.

Ignotus could have sworn he saw a smile on deaths face as the creature formed on the bank leaving a cloud of slow rising black smoke to an elder tree on the far side, death plucked a branch off the tree. Then almost as if summoned a dead horse like creature appeared. Death pulled a long, dead hair from his tail and fed it into the wand before returning to the bridge.

"Here, a wand fit for a man who has beaten death," Slowly and unsurely Antioch approached the creature, who held out the wand. He reached out and snatched the wand, and Death stood to one side letting the brother pass, who stumped slightly as the roots where Death had stood gave way, as if they were brittle and dead.

He crossed to the other side and waited for his brothers to come, mesmerized by the wand in his hand.

Cadmus went next, and there was no missing the look of hate upon his face. "You killed my beloved," he growled dangerously.

"I didn't not," said Death cooly. "The poison killed her, I merely escorted her from the world,"

Cadmus let out a low growl. "Well I want her back," he hissed. "In fact," He added an almost sadistic grin coming forth. " I want to be able to bring everyone you've ever taken back from the grave,"

Death paused as though to size up the man before reaching into the river, it was an odd sight as the body didn't seem to distort more than normal, yet Death was able to pluck a stone from the water more than a dozen feet below. "Turn it thrice and you shall see your departed bride," Cadmus stepped forward and cupped out his hands as the small dark pebble fell from Deaths' bony hand. And Cadmus too crossed the river, although his didn't stumbled as Antioch did, but a splash of root hitting the water below could be heard in his wake. Already a sizable gap could be seen in the bridge. Finally death turned to the third brother.

"And you, dear Ignotus, what is it that you desirer," there was no hiding the undertone of happiness that could heard in Deaths voice, the two stood in silence, sizing the other up.

"What I want is to be able to depart from this bridge and not be followed by you," Death froze, and the air turned a bit colder. Death seemed reluctant to grant him his gift, but in the end he raised his arm and cut a piece of his own cloak, in an instant it formed itself into its own cloak.

Death passed it to the brother. "Enjoy," it said shortly, before vanishing, Ignotus reacher out and grasped the silvery substance in his hand, and held it a moment longer before the roots that were the bridge began to die and turn brittle and snap under his feet. He sprinted to the other side, as the bridge started to decay behind him. With a final leap he reached the bank where his brother stood, admiring their gifts. Eyebrows raised at the sight of the cloak in his hand, Ignotus pulled it over himself and watched as his brothers blinked in surprise, he looked down and saw that his body was gone. 'Not gone,' he thought. 'Just invisible,'

And with that the three brothers walked on, until they came to a cross roads. The first brother took the one that forked left, saying their was something he had to do, although the one that went right showed a town just up ahead.

The two other brothers headed towards it, with little more than a nod as the brother departed.

(So what did you guys think? Keep going? Stop? Write the other one and forget about this sillyness? Expect an update soon)


End file.
